It is the objective of the proposed research to evaluate the potential role of the oral route for transmission of rabies virus to carnivorous and scavenger wildlife. Animals of several predatory species will be fed carcasses of experimentally infected rabid animals of species which normally contribute to their diets. The animals will be observed for as long as one year for the development of clinical signs of rabies and will be monitored for seroconversion, inapparent infection and secretion of virus. We propose to evaluate the potential role of scavenger birds as sentinels or the determination of the prevalence of sylvatic rabies. Crows and starlings will be captured from the wild and a blood sample will be obtained from each bird for serologic analysis for rabies antibodies by the passive hemagglutination procedure. Data will be obtained from the Iowa State Department of Health concerning the prevalence of diagnosed rabies in terrestrial wildlife in the same area. A third phase of the proposed research project would be an evaluation of the interaction between cyotes and skunks, with an emphasis on the extent of their predator-prey relationship, in order to predict the risk of rabies becoming established in the coyote population. This would be an intensive field study carried out in a defined area of approximately 600 sq. miles that is included in one of the four foci of skunk-rabies in Iowa.